The sting rays do not have dorsal fins and their tail is very long and filamentous, toothed and especially toxic and they use it only has a defence system. The common sting ray is greenish yellow on the back and lighter on the belly.

It is a carnivorous animal that feeds on fish and invertebrates such as crustaceans and molluscs.

Its reproduction is oviparous and the embryos feed on the uterine secretions of the mother. Its gestation lasts for 4 months. It produces a small number of offspring, between 4 and 7.

The common sting ray is an animal that has given rise to different beliefs and legends. One legend explains that Kirke gave his son a lance with a sting ray’s spine at the end, which he used to kill Ulyses. The ancient Greeks believed that the point of the sting ray could cause plants and trees to wither and die if it was rubbed against the bark. According to another belief, if the spine was removed from a living sting ray and immediately attached to the belly of a pregnant woman, it made the birth easier.

Conservation status